{
  "id": 3967392,
  "title": "From sleeping on streets to shaping future leaders: How this Filipino educator found a new life in Abu Dhabi",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/28/from-sleeping-on-streets-to-shaping-future-leaders-how-this-filipino",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-28T12:19:20.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Gulf News",
    "slug": "gulf-news",
    "url": "https://gulfnews.com/uae/people/from-sleeping-on-streets-to-shaping-future-leaders-how-this-filipino-educator-found-a-new-life-in-abu-dhabi-1.500655480"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Dubai: Once a homeless street dweller in Manila, Rex Bacarra now teaches Ethics at Zayed Military University in Abu Dhabi. The Filipino educator has transformed his life through hardship, faith, education, and the opportunities given by those who believed in him. Born in Catbalogan, Samar, Bacarra lost his mother at six and later faced poverty when his father settled in another town. After college, he moved to the capital city in search of work to support his father and family, but struggled to find employment due to his lack of connections and strong provincial accent. For nearly five years, Bacarra slept on streets, parks, and wherever he believed safe. During this time, he worked odd jobs such as carrying goods in markets, being a jeepney barker, and even a clown for hire. His focus was survival, asking only where he could eat, shower, and sleep. In his fifth year in Manila, a family gave Bacarra a chance to tutor their three children and provided a safe place to sleep. This act changed his life. He became increasingly prayerful and even joined the Benedictine monastery in the mountains, where he transformed through silence, prayer, study, manual work, and discipline. Bacarra eventually left the monastery and came to the UAE in 2009. At first, he feared poverty again but worked harder to become the best teacher he could be. He studied teaching methods, researched learning, and improved his public speaking skills. Bacarra now sees teaching as a way to secure his future and has fallen in love with it. He pays attention to students' reactions, adapting his lessons when necessary. Bacarra highlights that Abu Dhabi challenged him to keep learning by surrounding himself with excellent educators, researchers, and professionals. The UAE has given him safety, stability, opportunity, and the chance to work with people from various cultures. Bacarra received a UAE Golden Visa, which he finds deeply moving. He returns to the Philippines to help upland public schools in Samar, providing school supplies, food, and listening to teachers and children. Bacarra is grateful for the opportunities he received and looks forward to giving back to his community.",
  "summary": "Dubai: There was a time when Rex Bacarra’s biggest concern was not building a career or earning a professional title. It was finding somewhere safe to sleep. The Filipino educator, who now teaches Ethics at Zayed Military University under Rabdan Academy, has once spent almost five years without a permanent home in Manila. He has slept in parks, on streets, and wherever he believed he would be…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}